India Urges G20 States to Adopt Strict Anti-Corruption Stances [1]
On March 1, 2023, Indian Minister of State Jitendra Singh encouraged [3] G20 member states to commit to strict anti-corruption strategies leading up to the G20 New Delhi Summit on September 9-10, 2023. Singh believes the G20 are capable of addressing the “complex social, political and economic challenge” of corruption. In his statement, given to delegates representing the world’s twenty largest economies, Singh underscored the adverse financial effects of corruption in India. He recalled how Indian public sector banks lost approximately $272 billion due to fraud. Singh pointed to the systemic effects of fraud, citing how this forced the government to cut funding for gender equality and poverty reduction programs in order to offset the loss. In particular, Singh has proposed several measures to address information sharing, asset recovery and return, and the process of returning fugitive financial offenders to face prosecution. As this year’s holder of the G20 presidency, India is also advancing increased disaster relief, food and energy security, and addressing growing global divisions caused by the war in Ukraine.